Love Springs Eternal
by Aries The Ram
Summary: A replacement for Deathly Hallows, Harry being brought into a fight that he is unsure that he wishes to fight while discovering that while Love may be the "power he knows not" it was probably not in the way Albus had envisioned.
1. Surprise Arrival

_**Project LSE [Love Springs Eternal] is an undertaking that may or may not come to completion. It is a lengthy replacement of Deathly Hallows, starting just two days before the wedding of Bill and Fleur. You may go to the Lexicon to see just when this is and the true importance of it for this fic.**_

_**The fic is rated M for violence, action, and perhaps later some unsavory decisions in wartime. **_

_**The Pairing is Harry/Gabrielle, and before any of you balk, she is Ginny's age in this fic, why? Because I say so. Potter will not be robbing the cradle in this fic.**_

_**Also, if you are looking for a story that revolves around a regurgitated form of Horcrux hunting, you will be very sadly pointed in another direction as there will be very little actual 'hunting' of Horcruxes. **_

_**I do not own Harry Potter, the Potterverse, or anything related to Warner Brothers or Scholastic, I am making no profit and it is only my wish to improve my writing with which I write this fan-made fiction.**_

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><p>Dark blue skies hung over the odd-looking home called the 'Burrow', stars still faintly shining fading as the sun began to rise over the horizon. There wasn't a cloud to be seen, a rare occurrence in the small corner of rural Devon that hid a family of redheads that occupied the area. Not far off was a small village called Ottery St Catchpole, completely unaware of a few 'odd' families that lived in these fields. The home itself was rather a strain on the eyes, seemingly jutting out in different directions that one would believe countered most laws of physics, extensions of the original home soaring higher and slanting to the right. In fact most of the materials that made up this home looked to be far too mismatched to be anything but a deathtrap for any who wished to risk occupying it.<p>

This house though, the 'Burrow' was home to a family named the Weasleys. A large family of redheaded people who while perhaps poor were easily some of the most homely and comforting people one could ever meet. Led by Arthur and Molly Weasley, a balding and meek government worker and perhaps a tad hot-tempered stay-at-home mother respectively raised seven children in this home, two of which still resided there full-time. The oldest, Bill and Charlie Weasley were both respected men in their fields, having travelled abroad to work and make their parents proud. Percy Weasley was, while successful in his own right, separated from the family over a political issue and had not come home since. George and Fred were twins, identical in all but their slightly differing personalities and by far the most…rambunctious of the clan. They ran a business together selling joke products and were perhaps some of the most successful businessmen around. The youngest two were Ronald and Ginerva, both still living at home and going to school in Scotland for most of the year. It was summer though, and for the holidays they were helping prepare the house for the wedding of Bill and his fiancé Fleur Delacour.

There was a reason this home could fit so many people, and a reason why it could stand so obliquely and not fall to the ground in moments. It was held together by a powerful force that one could not explain, or reveal to many people in the world. Magic, a defining part of the Weasleys, and the neighborhood they lived in. For you see, the Weasleys are Wizards, and Witches. The abroad work that Bill and Charlie do is curse breaking for a multi-national banking industry and Dragon breeding in Romania respectively. Both Arthur and Percy work at the Ministry of Magic, the acting governmental body of England's magical society. Fred and George still run a joke shop though, but it's much more interesting when magic is involved. The school in Scotland that Ron and Ginny Weasley go to is the famed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a very ancient and respected school that taught most if not all of the English magical children.

It was why they lived away from the village, seeing as the village itself was non-magical or as the English Wizards called them, muggles. Only a few others lived near the Weasleys, the Lovegoods and the Diggory's, both of whom were also magical.

However all of these people were still asleep as the sun had not yet risen. There however was a light on in the Burrow, if a dim one. Looking inside one of the many side windows of the home one could spot a dark haired young man sitting at a desk with parchment scattered around and a head against his head in frustration. This young man however wasn't a Weasley, at least not by blood. He was a Potter, and his friendship with Ron and Ginny Weasley compounded with the sad fact that he had no family himself meant nearly being adopted into the family, he would spend most of his summer at the Burrow when he wasn't attending Hogwarts with the others.

His given name was Harry, and he stared pointlessly at his notes attempting to gain more knowledge from things he already knew. His face had already turned slightly gaunt looking, his pale skin even more translucent than before. His dark green eyes were starting to dull and his perhaps forever messy hair was matted against his head. The glasses he was all but blind without lay askew on his nose, long ignored because if he was honest with himself he'd admit that he had stopped actually reading the notes ages ago. He reseated the glasses to look back at one of his oldest friends, he shared the room with Ron during the summer and the redhead was still sleeping soundly, reminding Harry that he had no idea what time it was anymore. The bright orange colored room was no longer as harmful to eyesight at this time of night, and the posters of Ron's favorite Quidditch team were sleeping themselves, the players snoring lightly as background noise. Nostalgia took hold of Harry when he thought of Quidditch, years now of playing for his House's team at Hogwarts made the very act of flying on a broom a fond memory, even if the actual sport was more or less just an excuse to fly.

There wasn't a bookshelf to be seen in the room, which to be honest irritated Harry, there was so much information that he was looking through, and he had nearly no place to put it except on the floor. The only real furniture in the room were the two beds and the desk, with both of their school trunks laying against the end of the each respective bed.

The hardwood floors were somewhat noisy, and even the simply act of stretching had led to a few squeaks and groans. Harry noticed movement from the bed and saw his friend staring blearily at him.

"Harry, how long have you been up this time?" came the slow and mumbled voice, a hint of whining in it.

"I didn't go to sleep." Was the answer Harry chose, a sad smile on his face.

"You can't keep this up mate, how are we supposed to prepare for the wedding with you falling all over yourself?" Ron groaned, putting his feet on the floor and sitting upright, stretching his long arms and yawning.

"I'm not that bad off yet Ron, I'll get through it. Besides, you know we need to know as much as possible if we're ever to-"

Ron groaned again, though this time out of exasperation.

"Stop talking about leaving! We've got a few days left and there isn't a bloody thing we can do now that will change what can happen then, we'll worry about it later. Get some rest before I get Hermione to conjure those birds and set them loose on you."

Harry smirked, "And here I thought that spell was specifically for you."

The smirk was short lived as a pillow hit him in the face.

Ron's blue eyes looked half agitated and half amused, "Low blow Harry."

The young man in question was still grinning unashamedly, "So how are things between you two anyway?"

Had it been last year Ron probably would have avoided the subject or even rejected that there was 'anything' going on at all.

Ron put his head in his hands, hunched over and shaking his head.

"I don't know anymore, one day the chemistry is great, the next we're having some row that I can't even remember in an hour. It's mental, one moment it looks like she wants to snog me and the next she kicks me in the shin for something I've said."

Harry laughed; it was typical behavior of the two. They both got on each other's nerves, but were both determined to stick by the other. Truthfully he wasn't sure if they would make a good couple, but if they were willing to try there really wasn't anything he felt like doing to stop it.

"Maybe you should just try not talking." Harry mused, leaning back against the desk and more relaxed than he had felt in days.

"I've tried mate, but it's like word vomit sometimes. I swear sometimes she just tries to get me to say the wrong thing so she can be mad at me."

Harry would have rejected the idea vocally if he hadn't already been told by Hermione that she sometimes enjoyed flustering him by getting him to say the wrong thing. So instead he just chose to stay quiet, and hope that Ron wouldn't notice the small smile on his lips.

"And what about you and Ginny? Still broken up?" Ron said, having tried to sound nonchalant but the snort from his best friend being the tell-tale sign that he had failed.

Harry then shook his head, crossing his arms. "Yeah, but she's still determined to practically force me back into being with her. She's completely missing the point of why I broke up with her in the first place!"

Ron rolled his eyes, "Did you expect anything different when you used the 'it's too dangerous' speech? I mean it didn't work with Hermione and me when you tried convincing us that you'd rather be a martyr than see us hurt so why would you expect to work on someone **much** more stubborn?"

Harry was hard pressed to refute that statement, and it made sense. But it was more complicated than that. "It wasn't just the danger Ron, while I was with her it was like an escape. I finally had what I wanted, but that's all it was, an escape. I have to face reality now, and I can't honestly say that I want her having to face it too."

Ron looked saddened by that, but nodded. "Yeah, Lavender was just that too. I was too stubborn about the whole argument with Hermione that I just wanted to escape, by the time it was all over reality had smashed back in my face and the idea of staying with her just wasn't appealing anymore. She was good at snogging though. And don't you dare say that Ginny was too!"

Harry snickered and then nearly fell off his chair laughing.

They both calmed down, noticing that the sunlight was now filtering through the windows. Morning had come, and with that…

"Harry! Ron! Wake up and get down for breakfast!" the voice of Molly Weasley echoed upwards, followed by similar shouts for Hermione and Ginny.

Ron rolled his eyes and stretched again before attempting to find usable clothes that smelled less than the rest, while Harry only shook his head and pulled out a few clothes from his trunk that he had yet to wear. Thankfully he had spent some time in Hogsmeade getting some clothes that were actually worth wearing on the weekends. His years of wearing overly large castoffs were at last over with, and he had spent a long and blissful day burning the clothes he had once called his own.

Granted, he was still getting used to wearing robes on a daily basis that weren't his school robes, but it was still comfortable. He chose some dark red robes and found a shirt and pants before looking around for a clean towel to use for a shower. He groaned though when he left the room and found a line for the bathroom consisting of Ron ahead of him, then the ruffled and brown haired Hermione, and currently waiting at the door was the short spitfire Ginny. He was very thankful for heating charms for the plumbing. Ginny was already tapping her foot, and while she glanced back at Harry once or twice she seemed determined not to look at him very much. Hermione however was busy chatting with Ron about something and Harry smirked when the conversation started getting heated.

"That's sexist Ron! Women don't **always** take longer in the bathroom!" she nearly screeched, Ginny looking back in shock and Harry's eyes widening. It was a bit early in the morning for them to be at it already…

"Fine, I'll admit that poofs like Lockhart might take longer!" he shouted back, apparently oblivious to how loud they both were. Harry nearly smacked his own face at the comment, but Ginny couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Just because you won't spend any time on your appearance and don't care, doesn't mean the rest of us don't either!" she squawked. Her brown eyes burning in clear indignation.

"Harry, can you believe this? We look just fine and we don't spend hours in the bathroom, right?" he turned around towards their dark haired mutual friend. An invisible, but obvious spotlight being shone in his face.

The conversation went like that for several more minutes, Ginny unashamedly leaving the poor dark haired boy to the wolves as both tried to get their friend to join a side. Harry stood like stone though and refused to say either way, probably making them both irritated. But he'd take irritated with both over furious from one.

The shower was a long one, and very much needed. It was the first one he'd taken in a few days and the soothing feel of nearly scalding water on his body was relaxing. It allowed him to forget about all the stress that was plaguing him lately, everything from the tension with his friends to the journey that lay ahead of him was washed away and left him feeling more refreshed than he had been when he had arrived at the Burrow.

Making his way down the stairs, fully dressed and apparently very hungry he was assaulted with the smell of breakfast. He always enjoyed eating at the Burrow, no matter how little money they seemed to have there was always enough to put food on the table for everyone. And everyone was now a lot of people these days, Harry noticed that the table had been enlarged and most of the family was now living at the Burrow for the wedding. Bill of course had to show up; it was kind of an obligatory thing… Charlie had portkeyed in for the wedding but said that he'd have to go back right after as one of the German Goretusk's was birthing and they needed all hands on deck.

Fred and George were still living at their flat over the shop but hung around for most meals at the Burrow now. They were laughing and chatting about something with their father while Molly was putting plates down on the table. If anyone ever asked Harry what he thought about the Weasley home he would always say that it may have been slightly cluttered, but it was always his home. Various objects were all over the shelves, and the floors were never quite spotless, but it always held more of a lived in look than a mismanaged style. Harry found himself a spot at the table, nearly hitting his head against it when he found Ginny sitting right next to him. She again determinedly kept herself occupied talking to Hermione next to her while Hermione herself gave odd looks his way every now and then. Ron was sitting next to Hermione and gave him a sympathetic look before digging into his food with a passion Harry could never seem to muster. On his other side one of the twins sat down next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Never worry old sport; I'm sure she'll warm up to you sooner or later. You have to give a woman some time before she'll stop being all womany on you." Harry just shook his head and grinned, before talking with them about the shop and the newest products. Charlie spoke in detail about the Dragons they had been bringing in from the various countries to Romania to help restore the population, apparently Dragons all over the world were either disappearing or dying mysteriously and everyone was scrambling to keep them from going extinct. Bill had his own mysterious story about how he was being held up at a few tombs as Gringotts, the bank he worked for, kept telling him that there was some sort of hold up in getting permission to have expeditions. He had been working in Egypt for years now but it seemed that something was going on there that made the Goblins edgy about doing more work with them.

The only subject that was not talked about was the War, Voldemort or any other subject pertaining to his current attempt at conquering Britain. Harry however was worried that perhaps some of these issues abroad may not be so far away from home as they would all like to think. Voldemort wasn't actually being all that active in England currently, and that meant that perhaps he was occupied being busy somewhere else.

Voldemort was really a rather touchy subject for anyone in Britain right now. He and his loyal followers, the Death Eaters, had been wreaking havoc on the magical populace for decades now with only a break happening when an infant Harry Potter had somehow vanquished him at the cost of his parents, making him famous the world over as a survivor of the Killing Curse. Most British magical families still would not even utter the Dark Lord's name, simply calling him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who. The terrorist was currently working to become immortal, while strengthening his hold on Magical Britain and perhaps attempting to breach that country line to rule all of Europe.

Thinking about his enemy brought home the importance of his coming journey. The headmaster Albus Dumbledore had been preparing him for years to fight against Voldemort, recently explaining to him the nature of Voldemort's seeming immortality and how to get rid of it. Now Harry was determined to hunt the Horcruxes, the supposed items of immortality and take down the Dark Lord himself. Even more determined now since the death of Dumbledore only a few months back. It was a long shot he knew, but on his side was a prophesy made while he was an infant nearly stating outright that he would be the only one with the power to defeat Voldemort, with some sort of 'power he knows not'. Dumbledore claimed it was love, the love of his new family and his friends, something the Dark Lord was now incapable of. Harry only wished it could be that simple, something kept telling him that it would probably something farther reaching than simple love that would help destroy the most powerful Dark Lord of the last fifty years.

Harry was brought out of his reverie by the voice of Molly Weasley saying "Oh my! It's already that time! Everyone get to the fireplace!"

There was scramble to get to the fireplace, everyone trying to get there at the same time. Harry however was having issues remember just **why** they were making such a fuss about this, was someone coming? Harry smirked for a moment thinking how funny it had been trying to explain to his relatives how Wizards 'flooed' by throwing green powder into a fireplace and jumping into the flames, the pale color their skin turned was priceless.

The fire was burning red still, a sure sign that nothing was quite happening and an awkward silence reigned over the room as they all patiently waited for whatever Harry had forgotten about. "They told us eleven, and we're here at eleven…I swear if Appoline is doing this just to get on my nerves…" Molly mumbled, though loud enough for everyone to hear. Harry felt again like smacking himself, the Delacours were coming! It was barely two days away from the wedding and somehow he hadn't found it weird that the bride had disappeared since his escape from his relatives.

It was hard to believe that his former rival from the Tri-Wizard competition all those years ago had ended up being engaged to one of the Weasleys. Fleur and him hadn't spoken much at all in the last few years, something he vowed to change. He was practically a Weasley himself and she was becoming one, at some point he'd have to talk to her again. The French witch seemed to have gone to her family to help pack for them to stay over at the Burrow as well and Harry honestly wondered whether or not they could actually fit more people in the house.

While he was thinking this all through, the fireplace turned light green, enlarging into a sort of doorway and within seconds Fleur stepped through the fireplace and into Bill's arms. Soon after an imposing dark haired man stepped through and shrugged off the soot from his robes and nodded to the family and waited to the side of the fireplace. Soon an older woman stepped through, barely looking over thirty five and more attractive than Harry would have assumed. Fleur had certainly inherited her platinum blonde hair from her mother, as well as her good looks. Fleur however seemed to have inherited her father's tall height while her mother nearly half a foot shorter. An even older woman came through the fireplace, having the definite marks of being Fleur's grandmother and soon they stood together as a family and Harry wondered why everyone was quiet still. He had been about to introduce himself when the fireplace flared again and a girl about his age stumbled through the floo saying "I'm sorry! Sorry! I couldn't find my bag and…" she was suddenly silent as she felt everyone staring at her.

He couldn't quite find words to describe her, it was infinitely hard to imagine that this young woman in front of him had been the small girl he had seen when he was fourteen. She was only two inches shorter than him now, with the same Delacour platinum hair falling down past her shoulders. Her skin was pale like her older sister's, but seem to have warmth to her face instead of the coldness he had grown to associate with Fleur. She had clearly aged well in Harry's not so appropriate opinion, and from the looks of it nearly all the males agreed with him.

"Again, I'm sorry for being late. I had trouble with my bag, and then things just started falling apart from there. I'm Gabrielle Delacour and it is a pleasure to meet all of…Harry!" she smiled brightly before hugging the now completely confused teen. Everyone else had remained silent; however Ron seemed to be scowling slightly and from what Harry could tell Hermione had the same scowl etched on her face. However his attention was then diverted to the unavoidable fact that Gabrielle was no little girl anymore, and as he returned the hug he found himself relaxing slightly. This wasn't some stranger, this was little Gabby, the same girl he had not had the pleasure of speaking two in quite a few years.

The embrace ended, with Gabrielle blushing lightly, before her head spun around towards her sister and hit Harry in the face with her hair. "Fleur! How could you neglect to inform me that your fiancé was an acquaintance of Harry's?" Gabrielle's accent was faint, she had clearly been practicing.

Fleur seemed to look amused and slightly proud of herself, a fairly rare show of emotion on her part. "It did not seem important, after all no one else is supposed to know he is here. For security reasons of course." She smiled pleasantly, while the adults all seemed partly amused and exasperated.

Gabrielle scowled back at her sister, "Likely excuse." She huffed, before turning back towards Harry and smiling shyly again. "It's been awhile, yes?" she said, ignoring everyone else in the process. A few coughs could be heard and Harry had to use his willpower to look towards the Delacour male, who was looking halfway amused and annoyed at his youngest daughter's outburst.

Introductions were made, Alan animatedly going through the process of making sure that everyone knew that his wife Appoline and he were not French royalty and were not expecting some huge to-do over their arrival. He then introduced his mother-in-law, Aubree and then Arthur decided it was about time that they all left the now cramped living room and led them outside. Ginny was soon speaking with Gabrielle and Harry found himself mentally groaning, nothing good could come from that. Everyone seemed to be getting along while mingling and Harry soon felt like a bit odd just standing around.

It was while leaning against the wall, his eyes wandering frequently towards his ex-girlfriend and a rather attractive young blonde that he felt a shifting sensation in his mind. His eyesight went blurry, swirling before refocusing. He was no longer at the Burrow, but his body wasn't reacting, in fact he was moving without thought and seemed to be walking at a rather brisk pace. Anger was seeping through his mind, cruelty at the very edge of his consciousness and it did not take very long to access that he wasn't actually in his own body anymore.

It had been ages since this had happened, being a spectator to Voldemort's actions. It only ever truly happened this way when something really bothered the Dark Lord, to the point of making the monster lose control of his thoughts and broadcasting them as Harry unwillingly acted as a conduit. He was watching as Voldemort still kept a fast pace, moving far too fast for him to gain any bearings as to where they were. It was dark, almost without light except for the torchlight every few meters. The smell was that of stale air, wherever they were he had not visited in far too long. The stone floor echoed Voldemort's footsteps loudly as he made his way through the seemingly never ending tunnel. It took him more than a few minutes to reach a door, which swung open at the snarl of "Open!" in parseltongue.

Harry watched in fascination as Voldemort studied the chamber he was in, some sort of nostalgia coming from the Dark Lord's mind before anger resurfaced at the situation he apparently had found himself in. An ancient pedestal stood in the middle of the chamber, which had no distinguishing marks other than an oval shape and dark green torchlight. The pedestal held a large crystal ball, clear and smooth and held in a stone hand that looked inhuman.

Voldemort walked slowly towards the pedestal, his right hand reaching for the ball and soon the crystal was alight with too many colors to describe, an image slowly coalescing above the ball. The image was that of a slightly aged man, light brown hair cut nearly too short to see and piercing red eyes not so unlike Voldemort's own. He stood tall and imposing, radiating power that struck Harry with tendrils of fear that seeped into his mind. Was Voldemort afraid of this man?

"You are late." The image said, the voice distorted inhumanly adding to the fear that Voldemort seemed to feel.

"I was held up, my plans are not going as well as I had planned, I-"

"Do I look like I care what **you** have planned?" the image snarled, a familiarity brushing against Harry's mind that he could not quite understand.

"Of course not, I am merely trying to say that-"

"Do not make excuses Voldemort; I am not interested in them. How are the meetings with the Lethifolds going?" his voice became calm, almost eerily cold as he discussed the dark creatures.

"They are going well, however they do not wish to outright attack Hogwarts like I need them to."

The image put up his hand, "I have told you time and again that you should stop worrying about Dumbledore and his Order, this is much larger than either of you so I would appreciate it if you did not make this larger than it had to be. Get the Lethifolds to join us, then the British Werewolves; we need as many as we can all muster if my plans are to come to fruition. Do not let us become the next Grindelwalds."

There was hesitation; Harry could feel the anger at being treated like a child from the Dark Lord. Before Harry could further speculate who this monster might be Voldemort bowed low and horrified Harry by speaking slowly and saying "Of course…Master."

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><p><em><strong>AN **_

_**This felt like a good place to end it. I have no beta so this is of course fairly unedited. I try to go through the chapters a bit before they are posted but I am not without mistakes. I am really looking forward to hearing what you all think. Should it be continued? **_

_**I already have base plans, and a very interesting twist on Horcruxes all laid out and ready to be unleashed upon you in a cruel and sadistic fashion. **_

_**Read and Review of course, and we'll see what happens.**_


	2. Cherished Moments

_**There was a good turnout for chapter one of LSE, for which I'm glad. I'm very happy that many of you are enjoying it, and criticism, even if brutal would be beneficiary. I have had comments that the whole "Master" scene was a bit Star-Warsy, well I'll completely admit that I've read a few HP/SW crossovers lately and perhaps that's seeping into my muse. Not all is what it seems, that will be a major theme during this story so hold on to your pants!**_

_**I do not own anything related to the Harry Potter universe…or the Star Wars universe…**_

_**Chapter 2: Cherished Moments**_

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><p>In the very same orange room without a bookshelf that Harry had spent his entire night working in he awoke from one of the more disturbing of his visions. A headache and more questions than he knew how to deal with were his only rewards for seeing the encounter between what he thought was his greatest threat and someone who might be pulling all the strings from behind. The image of the older man with red eyes and a demeanor that screamed 'fear me' was going to be stuck in Harry's mind for a very long time. He was not alone however, and while it was a welcome sight to know someone had been watching him, he was not prepared for a conversation with this particular someone.<p>

Ginny Weasley, his sixth year flame and quite possibly the closest person to him emotionally bar Ron and Hermione. She had tried so very hard to understand him during his obsession with Malfoy's plot and his issues with the upcoming journey with it eventually culminating at Dumbledore's funeral where Harry had decided that he simply couldn't be with her anymore. He genuinely hoped that they could be friends, but after everything they would be through and the way he had been treating her it wouldn't have been very surprising if she had simply left him be. It's for this reason that he was slightly confused at her being here when he awoke, forcing him to wonder how long had she been there?

"I was worried you might not wake until after your birthday had passed Harry. Was it truly that bad?" Ginny's soft voice betraying just how worried she had been, her smile light and caring while she rubbed his forearm with her palm. Her long red hair hanging down the sides of her pale and contorted face as she hunched down to look him in the eyes, light brown meeting dark green in a way that nearly made Harry uncomfortable.

"You know me, always looking for attention." He croaked, surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded. Ginny snorted and sat back, folding her arms and glaring at him defiantly. "So that is how it's going to be then? You're just going to make sarcastic comments and wait for me to leave and get Ron and Hermione instead of telling me just what's going on?" her glare was rather piercing, reminding him of the few times he had done something completely idiotic during their relationship. Perhaps this was the same thing, except with their friendship.

Harry wanted to deny it, but came up with nothing and knew that he had failed to hide anything from her when she shook her head and began to get up. He watched as she took a calming breath, looking back at him with eyes that told him that she cared more than he really wanted her to. Why couldn't she let go? Why couldn't she just move on and be happy, she'd never be happy with him anyway. It was when he heard her footsteps against the hardwood floor as she strode towards the door, nearly leaving the room when he surprised himself with a single word that spoke so very much.

"Wait." He said, though it was so quick and precise that neither he nor Ginny were actually sure he had said it.

She had whirled around quickly, intensely surprised and the gleam in her eyes on her tear stained face was enough proof of that. She slowly walked back and sat where she had watched him for however long and did exactly what he had told her to, she waited.

Harry was unsure just what he could actually tell her, any information that he told her could be stolen from her mind but certainly that was true of him as well. He had always been pants at defending his mind if he were honest with himself. But could he risk someone hurting her over this information? He would not like it, but with them no longer being in a relationship the risk for her perhaps dropped significantly enough for her to know what he was doing, if vaguely.

"You know that I'm leaving, with Ron and Hermione." He said slowly, trying to ascertain just how much she had already gleaned from their conversations. She nodded, saying nothing and her face remaining impassive.

"We're leaving so that we can track down…certain objects that Voldemort has tied his power to. If we can destroy them, we have a chance of killing Voldemort. Without destroying them, he would be impossible to defeat." He blew out a breath, he hadn't said it out loud like that in quite some time and while it had not made the journey easier in his mind, it made the purpose and goal more definite.

Ginny frowned slightly and closed her eyes. "And this is over the prophesy? The one that states that you are the one with the power to defeat him?" her voice was laced with concern, he had expected nothing less.

"Yeah, if anyone is going to have to do this, it'll have to be me." He sighed, accepting it when she began rubbing his forearm again, perhaps he could enjoy this one moment before everything fell apart.

"So it wasn't just that you felt it was too dangerous for me, you would have rather had both Ron and Hermione stay back as well, right?" she asked, none of the bitterness she had once held about it remaining in her voice.

He could only nod.

"I guess this wasn't really about us so much as it was everyone's safety. I get it, you know. What you told Ron about our relationship; how it was an escape for you…it was for me too. So much had been going on that year, with OWLs, my brother being a git, Hermione no longer wanting to be my friend for whatever reason and you being so bloody moody over Malfoy I guess we just clung to the happiness we thought we needed. I know there was something between us, but what you're doing is more important than finding out right now. "

Trying to still get over the shock that Ginny had been eavesdropping, he felt himself sagging back into his bed. He had been so worried that she would never understand that she would forever take it personally that he couldn't be with her right now. This was a weight lifted off his shoulders that he had not realized he needed so much.

"Thank you."

Ginny smiled softly again, shaking her head. "No, thank you Harry; I can't even begin to imagine what you three will have to face for however long you are out there. Thank you for trying to spare me of it all, you were always too noble for your own good but now I think see the good in it."

She held his hand for a moment, but something seemed different about the gesture. The look in her eyes spoke of a love very different than the one she had shown during their relationship. "I want you to know Harry that regardless of what happened, we are in a very real way family. You will always be an honorary Weasley and it would be good for you to remember that every now and then." She finished.

It was amazing just how much that kind of statement could do for a man, but Harry had an extremely hard time keeping his emotions in check, knowing just how much support he truly had.

Ginny looked around, towards the door and smirked. "I think I better tell everyone else that you are up, otherwise I may just get hexed by my family for keeping you to myself. To think what mum would assume if she knew we'd been up here for so long…" she winked impishly and got up leaving a smiling Harry Potter in her wake.

Harry decided that it was pointless just lying in the bed, he felt fine. Though before he could even stand he heard Ginny scream down the stairs "Harry's up!" and soon the young man in question winced at the earsplitting noise of so many feet running up the stairs. Ron and Hermione nearly barreled into each other trying to reach the door first and it was a struggle not to burst into a fit of laughter as they both tried to enter at the same time. Hermione threw a scathing glance at the redheaded member of the trio before adopting a look that looked like she was genuinely concerned with him, but equally angry as well.

"Harry! Are you okay? What happened?" she said, getting quite close to him in the process and invading what little personal space he had.

Flashes of the vision came through his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to tell them, not yet.

"I'm fine; it was just Voldemort getting all antsy over something." He hoped his voice hadn't betrayed anything, and by the looks of it he had been successful.

Hermione frowned, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You haven't passed out like that since the start of the visions though Harry, he must have really been out of control. You were out for hours, it's nearly eight."

"Yeah mate, mum's been worried sick and the Delacours have been trying to ask if they could help. Apparently Mr. Delacour is a healer over there but we explained that it was something our healers hadn't been able to do anything about and that you'd be up in a few hours." Ron continued.

Harry nodded, getting off of the bed and getting Hermione out of his face and was pleasantly surprised to at least still be in his red robes. "We better head down then and tell everyone I'm up, but I have a good feeling Ginny screeching down the stairs did that already."

Hermione spoke much softer when she held him back for a moment. "Don't you want to talk about…it?"

Harry blinked once, then twice. "It?"

She frowned, "When we're leaving of course."

He shook his head. "You have everything packed?"

She nodded.

"And you know where we're going?"

Again, she nodded.

"Then there is nothing to talk about anymore, we're going after the wedding and we'll save the rest for when we're actually out there." He said, putting all the finality into his speech that he could muster.

Ron looked worried though, "But we don't even know which way we'll go once we're out there. About R.A.B. and the locket, how are we going to find the-" and before he could finish Harry clamped a hand over his mouth.

"We're not talking about it at your home Ron, too many people are already listening to us." He said with a growl, Hermione looking around frantically and Ron's eyes widening. Flesh colored ears could be seen disappearing down the stairs from the corner of their sight.

Ron looked sufficiently embarrassed while Hermione seemed subdued as Harry led them all out of the room. Down the stairs Ginny could be seen grinning unashamedly and Harry rolled his eyes at her whispering "Nice try." She pouted theatrically and nodded her head towards the twins, her were 'innocently' chatting just down the hall.

Everyone seemed a little dour as Harry found Alan Delacour and his wife speaking with Charlie and Bill. They looked up and seemed to sigh in relief. Alan was the first to get up and looked over Harry speculatively. "They said it was just a normal thing to do with some sort of curse scar you have Mr. Potter but I must admit to it worrying me slightly. I've never heard of such a curse scar having that much of a major effect on the body." His grey eyes were concerned; Harry was beginning to suspect that he and Arthur were quite a bit alike.

"Please call me Harry, Mr. Delacour. Calling me Mr. Potter makes me feel like I'm back at school, and they were right too it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes the scar just makes me a little light headed."

Alan looked unconvinced, but Harry hadn't expected anything less, as a healer he would surely know that they were just covering. "Then it will come as no surprise that I'll want you to call me Alan, and I'm sure Appoline feels the same." The radiant smile from the woman in question was all the answer they needed.

After again reassuring everyone, including a very worried Molly Weasley, Harry went outside for some fresh air. It wasn't often these days that he had actually spent any time outside, with his broom still back at Hogwarts and everything else going on it just hadn't seemed right to enjoy himself outside. He hadn't even been able to visit the Quidditch Pitch before the train left the station, with everyone still mourning the Headmaster's death it was just too difficult to see any more of the school than necessary.

Harry sat down and took a few deep breaths, taking in everything as he watched the horizon and the nearby forest. The grass was soft on his skin, the breeze blowing his hair in nearly all directions and the smell of fresh air and whatever Mrs. Weasley was cooking was riding the wind and relaxing him. There was so much to think about, so much to do. It would be these moments he knew that he would probably cherish the most. His search for the pieces of Voldemort's soul would inevitably take a very long time and he was unsure whether either Hermione or Ron truly realized this. Perhaps nothing would be the same when everything was said and done, but perhaps that was just what he needed. A fresh start, he would be hailed as the protector of England and savior from the Dark Lord and with no looming threat on the horizon he may just be able to escape it all and have the quiet life he had always wanted.

The locket was the first objective, he had to find it and honestly he hadn't the first clue as to where to start. He knew that R.A.B., the person who had originally stolen the locket was a former follower of Voldemort, but who would have that sort of information? Would he have to kidnap a current member, or use subterfuge to ask one of the older members of the Order of the Phoenix? Was the Order even still working? With Dumbledore dead, they had no leader, the only man up for the job would probably have been the battle worn and tough Alastor Moody and Harry had a very hard time envisioning the others following his rather brutal way of leading.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, the African Auror would make another good candidate for leader but with everything going on and his duties to the Ministry it was a rather long shot that he would accept such responsibility. Especially since surely the Ministry would soon try to stamp out any 'vigilante' groups such as the Order.

Voldemort would soon attempt even bolder moves in order to control the Ministry, and it was clear that with the fall of the Ministry something would be done to Hogwarts. He would have to warn the Weasleys that perhaps Hogwarts was not the best choice to send Ginny back to. Harry sighed again, looking once more towards the forest. He put his hand through his hair and continued trying to make sense of everything he had in front of him, but nothing really shot out. He would have to wait, be patient and simply survive like he had done all these years and perhaps the answers he needed would come.

He was disturbed from these admittedly angst filled thoughts by the sound of someone sitting to his right. He found Gabrielle sitting next to him a foot or so away looking off in the distance and Harry berated himself for not having sense her presence.

"You are doing better now, no?" she said lightly, never taking her eyes away from the horizon where the sun was now hidden by thin clouds creating a colorful effect on the skyline. It gave a sort of surreal look to the landscape that Harry would have dared any artist to do justice.

"I'm better, I just became a little tired, and my scar apparently leeches some of my magical core so I can end up getting exhausted for no reason." It was half of the truth, and seemed to be suitable to work with whatever Alan chose to tell her as well.

"It must be aggravating, the scar I mean." She replied.

"You have no idea." He said with a small smile before noticing what she was wearing, it seemed so unimportant when he was just trying to recognize who he had known all those years ago and translate it with the young woman beside him. She was wearing a white shirt, with a colored undershirt and a flowing knee-length skirt. He had assumed that they would have all worn robes and he could have sworn that she had worn one when she had arrived, perhaps like him she simply felt more comfortable in muggle clothing.

Her hair was up in a ponytail, something that struck him oddly as the entire family seemed to strive to make a very earnest effort in their appearance. But it gave Gabrielle a more relaxed look, as if she was truly making herself at home.

Harry noticed that she was looking at him oddly, and with a blush he was trying very hard to keep down he assumed that she had asked him something.

"Err, what?" He could have smacked himself, he hadn't been this bad since he had spoken to Cho and she had been a year older than him!

She grinned back at him, not mentioning his reaction. "How well do you know the Weasleys?"

Harry thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out just how to answer that kind of question. There seemed like so much to consider, they were his family, his only family and the people he was closest to.

"I've known them since I came to Hogwarts, and met Ron. It was after my first year that I came here for the first time. I, well I don't get along with my relatives and the Weasleys are essentially my family now. I've come here every summer since and I wouldn't want it any other way."

Gabrielle smiled at his explanation, tilting her head to the side. "When Fleur had first told everyone that she was engaged to a man named Bill Weasley, I had made the connection that I remembered the family from Hogwarts but I guess I just forgot just what they were doing there for the second task. I was very surprised to see you here, pleasantly though." She added at the end, looking away for a moment.

"Thank you by the way, for what you did during the second task." She said much softer, while still looking at the ground.

"It was nothing Gabrielle, I simply did not want to risk anyone getting hurt and when Fleur was unable to show up I just knew I couldn't leave you." Harry tried to brush it off, but the look of gratitude she was giving him made him realize just how important his act of kindness was.

"You don't understand Harry, you likely saved my life."

There was a look of pure confusion on Harry's face. "But no one was in any danger; Dumbledore told me that it was just part of the poem for dramatics."

Gabrielle shook her head. "Harry, you know that Fleur and I are Veela, yes?"

Harry nodded, vaguely remembering Fleur talk about her wand back during the tournament.

"Veela are humanoids that are in tune with fire and passion, and as such we have limited control over the element itself as well as the ability to charm the opposite sex. The lake was already a dangerous place for Fleur to be, being incredibly weakened by being in such a place and the Grindylows took advantage of her weakness. I was simply put in a coma yes, but had I stayed there much longer I would have been too weak to stave off illness. I might have died had you not done what you did."

Her voice was quiet, but the emotion that she spoke with was firm and undeniable. Harry never would have imagined that such a simple act of taking a little girl with him would have had such a lasting effect, to think that she wouldn't have lived was awful.

Gabrielle blushed, "It was why I was so enamored with you afterwards Harry, you were my savior, Fleur's savior, while she would never admit it to your face she never again saw you as a 'leetle boy'."

Harry was speechless, what could he say to this? He settled for nodding and returning his gaze towards the horizon, the sun somehow having dropped significantly from the sky. Suddenly it hit home that he would be seventeen tomorrow, of age and able to cast magic unrestricted. It would be then that he could seriously consider himself able to make his journey.

"We should go in, and check to see when dinner will be ready." She said suddenly, getting up and brushing her clothes off. He looked up at her for a moment before following, unsure whether there was some sort of tension between them now. But even if there was, why was he suddenly concerned?

Without even noticing, he opened the door for the young Delacour sister and she smiled brightly at him walking inside. They came into the kitchen where Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were preparing everything and Hermione could be seen leaning against the counter, and with a smirk Harry realized that she was probably just trying not to break anything.

Ginny looked up from the vegetables she was chopping and raised an eyebrow at Harry standing so closely to Gabrielle, which made Harry shrug; she then nodded and went back to her duties with a small smirk on her face. Hermione also seemed a little suspicious but let it go and instead started peppering the poor Delacour girl with questions.

"Do you go to Beauxbatons Gabrielle?" and suddenly Harry felt the younger girl look down at the floor. Harry glared at his friend while the girl in question helplessly tried to salvage her mistake.

Gabrielle froze for a moment before looking at Hermione with a frown and answered slowly, "No Hermione I do not, I go to a local French academy."

The older girl now looked to be incredibly embarrassed and speechless while Ginny looked back and said "Oh, do you like it Gabrielle?"

Harry sighed in relief from behind as Gabrielle began talking to Ginny about how much she loved her classes and friends, though Harry noticed that she spoke very vaguely about just what she did at the school.

Ron came in soon and nearly dragged him out of the kitchen with a loud "I found him guys! He was hiding from us with the birds!"

Harry soon found himself in the middle of a game of chess, losing horribly against Ron as Alan was introduced to the finer points of exploding snap by the rest of the Weasley men. Alan really got into the fast paced card game and won more games than Harry thought would be ordinary for someone so 'new' to the game.

The wireless radio was on playing some random song, Harry still could not grasp why magical families enjoyed such eclectic music, but eventually stopped caring when he noticed how happy everyone seemed to be, bar one man. Bill seemed to be antsy attempting to rid his mind of thoughts on the wedding while Charlie did his job as the best man by distracting, erm, annoying Bill until it became unbearable. The twins were helping finance the wedding as a gift to Bill and Fleur so that things wouldn't be so tight and it took a great deal of persuasion for Arthur and Molly to accept the money at all.

Soon it was dinner time and everyone decided that it would be less of a hassle to eat outside instead of trying to fit everyone inside the small dining room. Harry was able to learn a few wards for insects and other pests that he knew would come in immensely handy on the road ahead from Arthur as he made sure that everyone would be as comfortable outside as they should have been inside. The twins had brought home some of their more decorative pieces, light orbs that would float stationary and simply glow with a color of your choosing. They pretty much chose every color conceivable and soon everyone was feeling comfortable in the light while Molly and Hermione used their wands to set up the table, enlarging it to the right dimensions and conjuring a large enough table cloth, the Twins were carefully summoning all of the dinner utensils while Bill and Charlie chose to just carry the food the old fashioned way, Harry supposed it was just another way to not remind Bill that he was about to marry Fleur within forty eight hours. The Delacours looked fairly put-out that they were not asked to help but Harry knew they would have to get used to being 'guests' of the Weasleys and being coddled. What bothered him slightly though was the relieved look on Gabrielle's face when she saw that she did not have to help, what could she have thought they wanted her to do?

Harry was thoroughly impressed with everything by the time it was all done. The table sat on the grass in quite possibly one of the only level areas of their entire yard, chairs everywhere and the glowing orbs giving an ambiance he hadn't thought possible. Everyone was laughing, telling jokes, and it was genuinely the most fun he had been able to have since Dumbledore's funeral. It was like the veil of darkness had been lifted off, if only for the night. The food was excellent, and Molly had even been able to make a good stab at French cuisine with the help of Appoline, and unlike when Harry had seen her at school Fleur was unable to find anything wrong with the 'English food'.

The sun had long disappeared and the stars were out shining incredibly bright, the moon giving off a faint glow as the orbs dimmed accordingly giving enough light to see without being a strain on everyone's eyes. Harry still sat at the table, listening to Charlie tell stories of the Dragon Reserve while he sat next to Hermione and Ron. Harry felt like a bit of a third wheel in the middle of the two but chose to ignore it seeing as neither of them were brave enough to say anything. Soon it became too much with both of them glancing shyly at each other and Harry groaned loudly and got up, nearly shoving Ron into his seat as Ginny roared in laughter while the two teens in question blushed furiously. Harry also laughed right up until he figured out who he was now sitting next to; Gabrielle smirked and winked at him, the laughter from Ginny stopping abruptly for some reason.

The night went on like this for hours, Harry learning what everyday life was like in France, Ron getting the men into a conversation over Quidditch while Hermione continued peppering the Delacours with questions and even managed to get into a complicated talk on healing with Alan. The war was never discussed; it was an unspoken rule that moments like these should be cherished, not ruined.

However that rule was then broken by the arrival of two men, who appeared out of thin air on the outskirts of the property. Arthur immediately rose from his chair with his wand raised, his oldest sons doing the same. The Delacours stood up as well, though confused as to what might be happening. Gabrielle looked to Harry and noticed that the dark haired youth had narrowed his eyes while Ron looked furious as one of the figures dropped his hood.

"Percy!" Molly Weasley cried, nearly hysterical from seeing her son. This would be the first time Percival Weasley had stepped onto the property in months. Percy strode towards the table, a look of superiority on his face, his gait being confidant and one would even say arrogant.

"I'm not here for a social visit Mother; I have brought the Minister here."

Molly gasped and Arthur seemed to drop his wand, if only for a moment. The hood of the second figure was dropped and a lion-like man who seemed to have been through more than most bowed respectfully to them.

"Hello Arthur, it's good to see you. You have a lovely home and I'm sorry to have disturbed your party."

His words came out smoothly, though his voice was deep and almost disturbingly calm. Harry suspected that this new Minister was very used to handling purebloods and therefore adept at manipulating conversations.

"As it is good to see you too Sir, what may I ask are you here for?" Arthur's voice was firm, strong, nearly nothing like Harry had always heard the man speak.

"I am here to speak with Harry Potter." He said simply, everyone looked towards the young man.

It was very hard for him not to say 'bugger off' to possibly the most powerful man in the Ministry. Not once had any Minister of Magic had anything but ill will towards him or some sort of determination towards recruiting Harry to be some sort of poster child for the government to say 'hey we're doing something!' so frequently Harry simply chose to ignore the government. A benefit of the doubt was in order though; Harry would attempt to be optimistic about this new Minister if only for a few minutes.

"Of course Minister, let's bring this inside."

The Minister nodded, Percy taking guard outside while Harry led the mysterious man through the Weasley home. He vaguely remembered this man from his few visits to the Ministry, he used to be the Head of the Aurors office and while normally that would gain him points in Harry's favor he would have still rather have had Amelia Bones be Minister if not for her 'unfortunate' demise earlier that summer.

Harry was careful not to bring the Minister to his actual room, there was too much information lying around for the man to see and it wouldn't do to have the Ministry aware of his actions once everything started. Instead he found the Twins' room, hoping that something wouldn't explode during the conversation. It was easy to find, and thought he room was a bit messy the Minister said nothing and sat down in one of the desk chairs while Harry sat opposite him in another. They stared at each other, and Harry was honestly about to ask what he wanted before the Minister took a breath and began.

"I have taken it upon myself to inform you that Albus Dumbledore left a few things for you in his will. I have brought them here, and have not seen them."

He got right to business, and Harry nodded. The Minister took out his wand and enlarged a crate that had been stored in one of his pockets; he then opened it and sat back. "That is really all I came here to do Mr. Potter, I could not have had items like this carried by just anyone and quite frankly I wanted to talk to you."

Harry was going to be civil to the older man, he had at least done him a service with Dumbledore's will, however something told the young man that perhaps it was Gringotts that should have handled something like this.

"What can I do for you Minister?"

"Rufus, please. My wife has had far too much fun calling me Minister lately."

Harry nodded, and motioned for him to continue.

"The Ministry is at a very crucial point right now Mr. Potter, we have very little time to prepare for a war the likes that Voldemort plans on initiating and the people will become very paranoid quickly if things are not handled properly. I know Fudge offered to make you a poster-child for the Ministry before and you turned him down, so I will not even bother you with that request. But I would like you to share information with our Aurors about your dealings with Death Eaters. Many of them are new recruits and will likely be surprised at how vicious they can be, we need someone who has been through this first hand. I was in the first War, but they would trust a story from you rather than some stodgy story from the past."

It was a surprisingly reasonable request, he wasn't being asked to parade around the Ministry building doing nothing or making some speech about how the Ministry was doing the right thing. He needed to know he had something to gain from this though.

"Stan, a boy your Aurors have arrested for being in league with Death Eaters, I want him removed from Azkaban." Harry said firmly, not letting an ounce of doubt into his voice.

Rufus sat back, his brows creasing. "That is a tall order; it has been put in the press for what he has done; what proof do you have that he is not in any way related to Death Eater activity?"

Harry shook his head, "I have none, but if you cannot release him out right then I want him to be given veritaserum so that the truth can come out."

The Minister nodded, "That can be arranged. I understand your frustration with the Auror Corps Mr. Potter, it was an arrest I was not even made aware of until it had reached the papers and I assure you the hexing those men received will stop them from making such mistakes again. If under the potion he is able to be innocent I will quietly remove him from Azkaban, anything too public and the populace would balk at such a reversal."

Rufus stood, and nodded towards Harry and handed him a parcel. "Thank you for your time Mr. Potter, with that parcel I will contact you about the visit to the Auror Corps, it will be completely spontaneous and you will have very subtle guards. No one except me will know that you are entering the Ministry building."

"The pleasure is mine Rufus, I wish you luck." Harry said, shaking the man's hand. Rufus then let himself out, leaving Harry to ponder whether or not his original opinion of the man should actually change. Any appearance at all at the Ministry building would boost morale, so it wasn't needed for Harry to be asked. It seemed like Rufus had instead found a completely useless reason to have Harry come there himself instead, and while it was a good move on his part the only reason Harry agreed was for the release of Stan. That poor young man did not deserve to be in prison, especially under watch of Dementors.

Harry briefly looked at the crate; it was too late to be looking through it now. Whatever Dumbledore had left to him would have to wait until morning. He glanced towards a clock hanging on the wall, it was just past eleven and he smiled knowing that within the hour he would be seventeen. Everyone was quiet when he went back outside, making Harry wonder just what else the Minister had felt needed to be said that would make everyone so subdued. The lights and table were all still out, though the twins seemed to be putting everything back.

"What did he want Harry?" Ginny asked bravely, being the person to break the horrible silence.

"He gave me a few things that Dumbledore left me, according to his will…" Harry was trying not to let the event affect him too much, he had been successful in escaping thoughts of Dumbledore's murder for nearly a week by throwing himself into his work and it would not do to break down in front of everyone; he needed to be strong.

The Weasleys looked surprised and extremely proud. Hermione seemed to think she had something in her eye and the Delacours were left wondering what kind of relationship the former Headmaster had with Harry that would make it appropriate for him to leave Harry anything at all. The mood had dampened astoundingly and Harry knew that it was about time that he get some sleep, with everything that had been going on and the lack of sleep he knew that it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he just collapsed. However with a grim smile he figured that the Weasleys didn't need another scare like that twice in one day, so he begged off more questions and said that he needed to get some sleep.

Nobody felt like questioning him, it was easy to see how tired the young man was and it worried the entire family immensely. Molly was no idiot, she knew that her black haired son was planning something to do with the War, and it broke her heart knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop him or even help him. Whatever happened, she just hoped that her family would still be in one piece when everything was said and done. She had been hysterical when George had lost his ear, what would she do if one of her children lost something even more valuable?

Harry trudged up the stairs, feeling his legs become heavier with each step. He had barely made it to his room and onto one of the beds before he sagged down in relief. Even with how short it had been for him, and all of the ups and downs, it had been a very good day. He would forever remember the scene at the table, everyone happy and enjoying themselves and the entire family sans Percy all together again. He would remember Alan's healer jokes, Arthur's 'amazing' discoveries of muggle technology and Ron's spluttering when being put next to Hermione. He would remember the sunset, the stars, and his conversation with Gabrielle as they watched the horizon during one of the most peaceful moments of his entire life. And he would remember Ginny telling him that he was family, that they were all there for him no matter what and that he would **always** be a Weasley regardless of blood.

It was these moments that he knew that would be cherished in his mind when things became hard, when the veil of darkness came back into their lives and he was forced to make decisions that would cause both life and death. He would need these moments to ground him, to keep him sane and to keep him human.

Harry fell asleep within minutes, Ron quietly coming in less than a half hour later to sleep on the remaining bed. The night was quiet and only Ron's snoring could be heard disturbing the silence, until midnight struck and everyone became aware of screaming coming from the orange room without a bookshelf.

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><p><em><strong>AN I wasn't aware I was so fond of cliffhangers; I must be more evil than I thought. I really hope everyone likes this chapter, as I wanted everyone to get a feel for the characters and the mood, while understanding that Harry needed to have some happiness before things got darker. And they will indeed get darker…**_

_**One thing I am interested in feedback for is the pace of this story, sometimes when writing it I feel like its rushed, other times I feel like its dragging on. Whats your opinion? Keep in mind that only this chapter in the next will be light on 'action' because the fourth chapter will include the wedding, and we all know what the event signals.**_

_**Read and Review, as always. Thank you everyone for your support and I can't wait to hear from all of you!**_


	3. The Core Event

_**Edit:[This is a repost of the chapter, with an edited A/N at the end, for those of you who have already read this chapter, feel free to skip to the bottom.]**_

_**Welcome to the third installment of LSE, and I thank all of you who have reviewed and read this fic as it is a pleasure to write and I hope to see many of you in the future as this continues. This is where the fic will slide into one cliché, only to lead into a twist that I haven't actually seen in another fic to be honest. I try my hardest to give you the best quality work and the most original (that one can have in a universe where nearly everything has already been written) material possible. The chapter length will still stay around 5-10 K, though honestly I highly doubt I'll be able to drag ten thousand word chapters into this, I always seem to make the pace slow down dramatically for that.**_

_**Also, for the readers' sake I will mention that the genre of this story will in fact stay within the realms of Romance and Adventure, however this chapter took a lot of time to plan out and flesh since we've come to a major crossroads. I had three ideas that I could go through at this point and while many of you may enjoy the one I chose, some will want more action. This story will, for the time being, be Romance/Drama driven for the next few chapters.**_

_**P.S. Any dialog in French will be in bold, non-italics.**_

_**Chapter 3: The Core Event**_

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><p>Alan Delacour was understandably exhausted, having travelled through the fireplace with his family to his soon to be extended family. He had only met Bill before now, and while the young man had mentioned his family in detail Alan had not been prepared for just how much like home they were. Alan himself had two younger brothers, Jean and Nicholas. Jean was hyper and couldn't concentrate on anything for too long, somewhat like the Weasley twins. Nicholas however was like Arthur, kind and quirky with integrity that could never be disrupted. So it was with these thoughts that Alan was able to relax the entire night, enjoying something so different yet familiar with the Weasleys.<p>

Being so exhausted, Alan was more than ready to hit the bed that he and Appoline had been afforded and fall asleep immediately, his wife feeling essentially the same way.

"**Alan, what do you think of them**?" his beautiful wife asked from beside him, curled into his side with lidded eyes having already become too tired to continue speaking in English. He could get lost in those blue eyes so easily, and had for years already.

"**I think the Weasleys will make a fine edition to our extended family, they are kind, homely and tight-knit**."

"**Do you think they will accept my Veela heritage, and what about Gabrielle?**" her face was so concerned, worried for their daughter. Alan had to admit that it had crossed his mind once or twice; the English were so judgmental when it came to magical blood and racism was something that was rampant both here and in Germany as bleed over from the time of Grindelwald. It did not make it easier to omit information from the Weasleys, but perhaps they would never have to know.

"**They already know about Fleur's heritage, but I know what you mean. They may assume that all Veela are like Fleur, but we may not have to strip them of that belief. We'll just wait and see for now, after all we are only here for a few days, and nothing may need to be said."** He hoped that this would ease his wife's worries, and maybe his own as well.

Appoline nodded, relaxing into his arms. Ultimately it would just have to be something they let lie until it came up, a bridge they would meet when they got there. Thinking about Gabrielle reminded him of the amusement he had been feeling nearly all day at watching her interactions with the young Potter male. Harry Potter was quite the enigma, and Alan loved mysteries. The boy had worried them all when he had collapsed, and regardless of any excuses the Weasleys made it was obvious that this was not just some sort of normal event that should be disregarded. If they didn't want to share Harry's issue with his scar, then that was their secret to withhold. The black haired youth had been slow and tired looking when he had come down to greet them, but that had not stopped his daughter from nearly diving onto him when she had seen him. Alan himself hadn't even known that the young Potter heir was staying with the Weasleys, something he was glad he could honestly tell his daughter.

It was a pleasant surprise though; the black haired youth was tense, but friendly and open to all of them. Perhaps it was because of his dealings with Fleur during the tournament but he didn't even seem to register that they were essentially strangers, something that Alan would easily admit made things much easier for his family to feel at ease too. If Harry was so relaxed around the Weasleys and unrelated, then that made it somehow easier for them to be so too. His interactions with Gabrielle were telling certainly, but he could also tell that there was something between him and the Weasley's daughter. He hoped his youngest would not get her hopes up; she had been interested by the boy since she had been rescued by him and kept tabs on him through those unfortunate excuses for tabloids.

One thing he was immensely glad though was that this attraction hadn't ever become an obsession like he had seen with so many other young girls here in England; she had simply wanted to know what her savior was up to. And it showed tonight when she kept calm and relaxed around the boy, something that Harry had obviously noticed and taken a liking to. Alan smiled inwardly; he may have to try to intimidate the boy soon. Keep him at bay, that sort of thing, for tradition's sake.

With a grimace he remembered Appoline's father, when he had visited the Nest, what the Veela called their communities. Veela did not seem to have a particular need for surnames, so her father was simply known as Lionel. He was a very intimidating man, and the young healer-in-training Alan had been back then quaked in his shoes at the sight of the strong elder of their community. Alan hadn't been prepared to essentially meet the leader of his fiancé's community and her father in the same instance and it had nearly been enough for him to wet himself. It was at the point of no return, when he stood in front of the blue eyed menace that the elder man grinned and hugged Alan so hard that the young man thought he might suffocate. Alan swore he bruised a few ribs that day, and would sometimes rub his sides when meeting Lionel again over the years. It was then that he learned the true extent of what being a Veela meant, and how very surprised he had been to learn just how many lies were told about the humanoid race.

He had left the Nest with the blessing of his soon to be wife's father and they had wed in a mix of Veelan tradition and his family's traditions to the delight of both sides of the family and he couldn't imagine his life having turned out any other way.

Alan Delacour was prepared to fall asleep with a contented smile on his face when midnight struck and the screams began. His eyes snapped open immediately, his instincts in control as he grabbed his wand and left his room. Clad in only boxers and an admittedly snug shirt he ran towards the noise, hopping upstairs in the dark two at a time with regard for anyone else sleeping because he knew that no one would be sleeping long anyway. He heard the screams coming from one of the doors on his way up and nearly tripped on one of the last stairs in his rush. He opened the door and stopped abruptly at the sight in front of him. This must have been the room that Ronald and Harry shared; he should have known that Harry would be the one screaming. The young man was thrashing in his bed, the sheets having been abandoned and sweat pouring down his face. Alan wondered if it was some incredibly vivid nightmare but the look of pain on his face left no doubt that this was something more serious.

The youngest Weasley male was already up, and standing near his friend without getting close enough to be in the way. His face was contorted in concern and he looked at Alan with such raw fear that it genuinely scared the older man; clearly this wasn't normal, which made things much worse.

Alan moved Ron to the side, his wand already making complicated movements that weren't in the slightest effected by his exhaustion. Scans made, lights shining from various places on Harry's body as Alan attempted to find the source. More people had made it into the room, huddled around the entrance and against the wall staying out of the way; Appoline had made it up as well and bit her bottom lip hoping that her husband could help. The screams were heart wrenching and many of the females in the room were already in tears watching Harry in agony. Hermione was sobbing quietly while Gabrielle and Ginny stood next to each other, the latter in a worse state while Gabrielle seemed too shocked to have any real reaction.

Alan continued scanning, but nothing was showing up on anything so he chose to do something he'd normally wait for, a magical core scan. It was…invasive and in most cases far too private an event to do without consent but he was running out of options. He was in the middle of the long incantation for the core scan while Harry's eyes snapped open and another scream left his mouth. What made Alan pale was the bright green that the eyes glowed, and the soft purple mist that sprayed from his mouth. This was…not good at all.

"Miss Granger!" at this the young woman in question hiccupped, "Is today Harry's birthday?"

It took her a moment, but she nodded, sobbing again when the screams continued. Alan swore in French before yelling "Everyone leave now! It's not safe!"

More than a few of them were hesitant, but Appoline and Gabrielle dragged them out, they both knew that if Alan had ordered them to leave than it truly was not safe to be in the room. Alan himself closed his eyes and attempted to think of a way out of this. The boy was going through magical maturation most likely, and for some reason he had too much magic in him for his core to handle. It wasn't expanding maybe? But then what could he do? If he just stood there the boy might explode and there wouldn't be a piece of this house left recognizable. And then something occurred to him, the mist that came from Harry's mouth, it was still coming out sporadically when he screamed. He had never seen mist like that and it wasn't due to magical maturation, something else was at play here. Normally at the age of seventeen a Wizard or Witch went through a maturation of their magical core, it wouldn't strengthen really but it would attune more naturally to magic in general allowing for easier access. In some cases this would cause the Wizard or Witch in question to become sick if the core fluctuated more than usual or even cause the teen extreme pain if their old core was somehow naturally less attuned than normal. A core maturing was the natural way that Wizards and Witches power became balanced, for while many people would tell you that some people were more powerful than others, it was a matter of how attuned one person was to magic in general in comparison to another that made any difference.

Alan had hoped it was an extreme case of core fluctuation in Harry's case, but his core was…pulsing for a lack of a better word. It wasn't attuning to anything at all; it just seemed to be pent up with enough raw magical energy that Alan was seriously concerned that it might implode. It was cause instant death and Alan knew no way to stop or even slow down the process. This was new territory for him, pediatric healers would be much better suited for this sort of practice, but there likely wouldn't be any time. It took a lot of willpower to leave the young man and head towards the stairs; they would have to wait this out and he needed to evacuate the area. He threw a silencing spell on Harry to at least muffle the screams, but he'd be back soon to make sure the boy hadn't hurt himself further.

He found everyone down on the first floor; a few of them pacing frantically while others were still emotionally unstable. Everyone looked at him when he entered, obviously aware of the silence, but Alan put his hands up.

"I silenced him temporarily so I could speak to you all. I have very bad news, his core seems to be unstable and the pain has not stopped. At this point in time I'm afraid that a core meltdown is possible, I have to ask that all of you leave and go to my home for the time being." He kept his voice calm, much calmer than he felt and hoped that it would keep everyone from panicking. It was a poor expectation though as the term 'core meltdown' caused several of them to start sobbing again and most of the males' faces to pale dramatically.

Even Alan was trying very hard not to think of the implications, he asked his wife and daughters to lead the Weasleys and Hermione to their home until things calmed down, but almost immediately after everyone stood the screaming started again. All heads snapped towards where they knew Harry was, and Alan blinked a few times before running back upstairs. There was no reason why his silencer should have failed, but his question was answered when he opened the door again to near gale-force winds and one of the most beautiful and horrifying sights he would ever witness in his lifetime.

The almost opaque purple mist that had been flowing out of Harry's mouth now swirled around the room, winds forcing parchment and objects alike to fly dangerously around the room. Harry was now still but still screaming, his eyes open and glowing brightly in the dark room while the mist lit up the rest of the area. Alan watched in horror as even more mist erupted from Harry's mouth, and the lightning bolt scar the young man was so famous for began glowing bright green itself.

Gabrielle came running into the room, yelling in French "**Daddy! The floo won't work, nothing is working! No one can apparate out!"**

His daughter's eyes widened at the sight of her savior in the middle of such an event. Her father was standing a few feet away from Harry attempting to get closer. He swore loudly at her words, the ambient magic that the mist was creating was disrupting everything else. They would be trapped here and if the core imploded they would all be taken with it.

The lightning bolt scar became blindingly bright, forcing both of the Delacours to cover their eyes. The scar then disappeared with a force of wind exploding outwards from Harry, corresponding green mist erupting from the young man's mouth like some sort of disturbing volcano. The green began swirling with the purple and they merged and began to brighten before a deafening blast was heard and the mist exploded outwards traveling through everything and everyone it touched.

The screams stopped, and the mist slowed dramatically to create a room so completely filled with ambient magic that it was amazing that Alan could stand still. Ambient magic was like a drug in this kind of quantity to magic users, seeping into the skin and creating a high that rivaled non magical substances. The mist dissipated somehow, Harry now lying completely still on his bed, his hair clinging to his forehead as sweat covered him completely. Alan couldn't hold himself up anymore, exhaustion taking over. He sat down against the wall and his daughter fell to her knees next to him, they both watched Harry breath harshly as the mist continued to slowly disappear.

"**My god, what just happened Daddy?"**

Alan wasn't completely sure he knew what to tell her, they were alive so that meant the core had not imploded and yet that ambient magic event was so unlike anything he had ever heard of that it was a mystery as to what actually happened. He walked slowly up to Harry, cautious and quite frankly still scared that the boy would still explode and kill them all.

Alan cast more general scans, showing that Harry was exhausted and bruised in a few places, even managing to bite his tongue a few times. He had a fever and seemed to be low on electrolytes but that was to be expected. It was time for the core scan, and after a few minutes he was forced to do it a second time. And then a third time, followed by a fourth. Alan scowled at his wand as nothing appeared to happen. Gabrielle stood next to him and they both watched confused as he tried once more to scan Harry's core but again nothing happened. He must be too exhausted, that was the problem. The good news was that Harry was no longer in life threatening danger it seemed, he asked Gabrielle to inform them that Harry needed to rest for the night and after she left he sat down on a nearby desk chair that somehow had survived the cyclone. Most of the room looked to be damaged but repairable.

A groan escaped Harry's lips as he rolled to his side and opened those green eyes. Alan was thankful that they no longer had that eerie glow, but soon found himself trying not to stare at his forehead to look at what was now completely missing from it.

"Bugger, did something happen to me again?" Harry asked, his voice still hoarse from the screaming.

Alan couldn't help himself but chuckle at that, even after everything else it seemed the boy was much the same. It was both reassuring and disturbing that he was so used to this sort of thing at such an early age.

"You could say that, you nearly exploded and killed us all." Alan said offhandedly, his exhaustion leaving him rather tactless.

Harry was wiping the sweat off his forehead when he paled, "What?"

"I want to say that you went through some sort of core maturation, but I can't be sure. Your core held too much power inside and while fluctuating seemed to have to release most of the energy from your body. It looked to be a very painful process; I'm surprised you're even awake."

Harry nodded, wincing as he tried to move his limbs. "It must have been one hell of a fluctuation. I've never heard of it being that drastic."

Alan shook his head, "It's not supposed to be, by any means. Normally you would have just gotten sick, the fever is normal and some weakness should be expected but I've never seen a core release that much energy physically."

Harry was busy furrowing his brows as he looked around the room. He then looked towards the small table that used to be near the bed and found his glasses lying on the floor a few feet away. Harry looked up towards the Delacour male and asked awkwardly "Should my vision have changed?"

Alan smiled, "Yes it's normal for the magic in your body to fix a few minor physical maladies while fluctuating. I wouldn't be surprised if your vision is near perfect."

Harry nodded, rubbing his eyes to get adjusted to such a change. He then sighed and lay back down, groaning for the umpteenth time in slight pain. "How is everyone else taking this?"

Alan, in a particularly lazy move, shrugged. "Emotions are frayed, I told them there was a real possibility of a core meltdown and I'm sure everyone is probably mentally exhausted. Is it normally this hectic to have you around?" the question came out of his lips before Alan had a chance to stop himself, he winced at the tactlessness.

Harry grinned though, "Not always, this is actually more of a one-off. I'm hoping… We should tell everyone to go back to sleep if they can. I'll even see if I can convince the Weasleys not to throw me a party, everyone needs to relax some and I don't need to bother them anymore."

Alan chuckled but shook his head nonetheless, "Even if you convince them not to throw you a party I doubt you'll get away with it completely. But it wouldn't hurt for everyone to sleep in and relax some before the wedding."

Harry nodded before throwing his legs off the bed and attempting to stand, swearing softly as he landed back on the bed. "Could you get me my wand?" Harry asked pointing towards the holly wand lying on the hardwood floor, even now wanting to try out his new status as an adult Wizard.

Alan got the wand, but hesitated before handing it to the young man. "Be careful, after such a violent fluctuation I wouldn't do anything complicated, just a time reader or torchlight spell, alright?"

Harry agreed and spoke softly "Lumos" and waited as nothing happened. Something felt odd about his wand too; he didn't feel the normal warmth that usually accompanied holding it.

"Would my maturation have changed my attunement with my wand?" he asked, looking up at the man who was also looking confused.

"No, try something else."

"Tempus." And instead of the usual display of the time and date, again nothing happened.

Alan gasped, taking out his wand and without even asking for consent did the core scan one last time, it couldn't be…

Harry was taken completely by surprise, but didn't know what to do when after a long incantation nothing seemed to happen.

"Err, was something supposed to happen?"

Alan had no idea how to tell Harry what was going on, it was impossible. This shouldn't ever even be in the realm of possible. He sighed, this was almost as bad as telling someone they had a terminal disease, how was he even supposed to start this conversation? He needed more complicated equipment to do a more detailed scan, he needed to know how this could have happened but for now it was at least clear what was going on.

"Harry, I don't know how to tell you this." He started, wanting to smack himself for how cliché it was.

Harry just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. Alan put his head in his hands and sighed.

"Harry, I've done the core scan several times on you in the past hour and nothing shows up. Not a weak core, or a fluctuating core, but nothing. I have not been able to find a core at all. Harry, I'm afraid that you might not be a Wizard anymore."

Harry kept staring at Alan, unsure what to say. He had to be wrong, right?

"Are you sure?"

Alan shook his head, "I wouldn't have said anything if I wasn't. There is no core residing within you anymore."

Harry just sat there, how was he supposed to react to this? He wasn't magical? That must mean that he was now a muggle, and powerless to defeat Voldemort and whoever the bloody hell was pulling Voldemort's strings. Was the prophesy wrong? Had it been talking about Neville the entire time? What did this mean for his hunt for the Horcruxes? Certainly he wouldn't be able to accomplish it anymore, and even if he did he wasn't very likely to defeat Voldemort the way he was. He could shoot him, but if it was that easy someone would have already done it right?

Harry chose to lie back down on his bed, his hands on his forehead. But something felt different, there wasn't a patch of roughness over his eye anymore, that meant…

"Alan!" Harry all but yelled, "Is my scar still there?"

Alan shook his head, why was the boy so concerned with that curse scar if…he gasped, amazing.

"No Harry, it's not, whatever took out your magical core must have taken the curse with it."

Harry pumped his fist in the air, and laughed. The total opposite of what Alan would have thought Harry would be doing right now. Was he not grasping the importance of what has happened tonight?

"Harry, I think you might be in shock… You do realize you'll never be able to cast magic again, and that you will most likely not be allowed to live as a Wizard anymore correct?"

Harry's smile abated somewhat, but it remained. Alan was right, he would no longer be able to cast magic ever again, and he wouldn't be able to be an Auror or play Quidditch or go to Hogwarts. But that was completely outweighed by the good that came of this.

"You don't understand Alan, I'm free now." Harry whispered.

"Free?" The boy had lost more than his core…

Harry smiled thinly, "I'll let you in on a secret Alan, one that even for the most part my best friends don't grasp. I spent my life before being a Wizard in a home where I wasn't cared for, where I was outright hated and I might never get over what happened during those years. But during my time as a Wizard I've been through much worse. Before I was a Wizard, my parents were drunkards who had crashed their car and died without a care in the world except me. I was alone, but very used to it. Once I became a Wizard I was told how my parents were brave, intelligent and loyal and it made me miss them for the first time in many years. Only then was I allowed to know what I had been missing, and it hurt terribly. Then I was given the chance to know that I still had family in the form of my Godfather, only to have him taken away a year later. My only connection to my parents is in one man who seems to scared of his past to be near me and now I am left with nothing, but more to miss than ever before."

Alan was speechless; this young man had already been through too much. Just how much more had he been through?

"What about your friends Harry? Your family with the Weasleys?"

Harry's smile became more genuine, but his eyes still told of great sadness.

"The Weasleys will always be my family now, and I hope that with this they won't turn me away. I've lost too many chances at family to lose this one too. As for my friends, I have Hermione as one of the only friends outside the Weasley family; everyone else flips between adoration and hostility on a regular basis. The papers here in England despise me and make no attempts at being subtle about it either. I have enemies at school that would literally have me killed and my support relies on very little. Hermione is muggle-born and I have no doubt that she'll still be my friend. And the Weasleys will be with me forever, they've made that clear."

Alan was still struggling to find something he could argue against this with. He didn't know Harry very well, but there should be many reasons he shouldn't feel happy about no longer being a Wizard, most Wizards would in fact lose the motivation to live if they were faced with this, was Harry truly so unhappy with his magic?

"And I hear you are a high profile person here too?"

Harry snorted, "Yes, and now we've come to the best part of being muggle. I've wanted a normal, quiet life for as long as I've been famous and I could never get that if I continued being a Wizard. Those people who want me dead? It's because Voldemort wants me dead, and everyone seems to expect me to defeat him like I did all those years ago. But guess what? I can't, I probably couldn't have done it when I was a Wizard and I'll be damned if they expect me to defeat him now! It's no longer my responsibility Alan; even if I wanted to I couldn't defeat the tosser!"

Alan was dumbfounded, he had completely forgotten about Harry being a high profile target for Death Eaters in England, and what the boy said was true. If the Deatheaters found out that he wasn't magical, they'd still want him dead, but no one would ever expect him to fight them back.

He could see why Harry might be happy, in a way being a Wizard was both the very best, and very worst thing that had ever happened to him. And while no longer having magic was a horrible loss, he still had his friends and family, the good things of his Wizardry without the hassle of trying to carry an entire war on his shoulders. Alan was beginning to become happy for the young man now, like he had said, he was now free. But something still nagged at him.

"But doesn't that mean Voldemort will have full reign over England?"

Harry laughed, "If no one stops him, yeah I guess. But what makes everyone so sure I was so powerful that I could do it with fifty years less experience? Don't you think the other countries would have a problem with a rampant Dark Lord on the rise? England shouldn't have expected their savior to come in the package of a seventeen year old; if England falls it is not my fault."

Alan couldn't argue with him, the boy had a point. France had been irritated with England for expecting an upcoming war to be stopped by a child, but it hadn't come as a surprise when it was only a freak incident that led to the war ending in the first place.

"What will you do now?" Alan asked, curious as to what the young man thought his options were.

Harry shrugged, thinking about it himself. What could he do now? He couldn't really go get a job somewhere in the muggle world. He would have to study again, or he could do potions or something equally without need of magic. He'd heard of squibs who could still work in the magic workforce and wasn't that essentially what he was? The world was now open to him in a way it had never been before. He didn't have to expect to die within the year, even if Voldemort got wind of him being powerless, how would he then find him? Tracking charms and blood seals didn't work on muggles, he would be practically unplottable and just maybe he could find some happiness…

"Enjoy a wedding I guess, I'll go from there."

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><p><em><strong>AN**_

_**Edit: [Many of you have voiced concerns about 'Muggle Harry' already, so I am editing this A/N to let you all know that this is not strictly a Muggle Harry fiction in any way. I really hate revealing things earlier than needed, but since so many of you felt like you couldn't read further because of this, I feel obligated to put you all at ease. There will be no gunning down Death Eaters, and there will not be armies of Muggles to take down Voldemort. In fact, Harry will not remain 'non-magical' for very long, indeed he isn't even non-magical at the end of this chapter, it is just the assumption that both Alan and Harry are making for the time being. Harry has no magical core OF HIS OWN, do with that information what you will but I guarentee that there will be plenty of magic to come in this story. This was a plot device event, nothing more, I needed to get certain aspects out of the way. Chapter four is in the making, and will deal primarily with Harry's birthday celebrations and the...reactions to last night's event from everyone else. You will not have to wait long for Magic User!Harry, but it will probably not be in chapter four, so if you will just be the tiniest bit patient, you'll get back your magic. Sorry for the miscommunication and I hope many of you will stay with this story]**_

_**The third chapter, and while everyone will assuredly think that this means there will never be any action, or magic, you will be very thoroughly surprised. This is the precursor to one of my more ingenious ideas. I wanted to give Harry something that made him different from other fics, and most of those ideas came in the form of some super secret or ancient power and that felt wayyy too cliché to even use. **_

_**For those of you who think this Harry is OOC for being mildly unconcerned about being muggle, think about this way, what in the hell has come from being a Wizard that was so good for Harry's well-being? Psshah he got his friends and away from the Dursleys, who wants to make a list of the BAD things now?**_

_**Also, the pace of this chapter was the span of a couple of hours. I really hate that a chapter had to be used for such a short period of time but there wasn't anything I could do. I hope you all are happy with the progression and the questions that should now arise for the plot in general. What will happen? Why did Aries introduce a massive evil villain only to make Harry unable to defeat him? Or is he? Dundundun.**_

_**Read and Review, I'll be very happy to see everyone's opinions.**_


	4. The Midnight Massacre

_**Welcome to the Fourth installment of LSE, I do appreciate everyone who has reviewed and put this story on alerts, it's very encouraging. I have an announcement, in the next few weeks I will have a 'bit' more time to work on the story, and writing in general. I have another announcement as well; two more stories are in the works, a Post DH wartorn fic with a surprise pairing and a Harry/Katie Bell fic starting in first year when Harry is recruited to the Quidditch team with the premise of what if Oliver needed a chaser more than a seeker?**_

_**I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, however you will notice a 'sort of' abrupt change from drawn out drama to action/drama, and this is because after four tries and several different copies of chapter 4 I found it to be incredibly tedious to write out every single person's reaction and a birthday party in order to drag the day before the wedding out. So this chapter is the child born of irritation and impatience, enjoy.**_

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><p>Chapter 4: The Midnight Massacre<p>

While the 'Core Event' was ending at the Burrow, Voldemort was once again standing in the ritual cave where he spoke to the one being on this planet he could stand less than his own pathetic minions.

"Are you listening?" the voice boomed, coming straight from the image of a slightly aged man with terrifying red eyes. His brown hair in the usual pureblood fashion was long and tamed in a ponytail, while his robes were deep red and embroidered with golden lines. He was the image of royalty and would forever remind his servant of it.

Voldemort was however preoccupied mentally as his forced link between the Potter boy and himself was fluctuating wildly unlike any other time in either of their lifetimes. He had been in the middle of briefing that damnable man on his successes with the Lethifold council when he felt his link with Potter nearly explode.

"Is something the matter Voldemort? Or are you just stalling as usual."

"Of course not Master. I am simply feeling something through the link." He said with barely any hint of edge in his voice, but he was starting to lose control.

"I warned you when you made that link that it would get in the way of our plans. What is it about the Potter child now that interests you more than world domination?" his voice was laced with suspicion and irritation, from the very beginning since that fateful day his Master had wanted nothing to do with the Potters ever again.

"Our link is…changing. I can't explain it, something is happening to the boy." Voldemort said, straining to gather more information.

"Is that all you can tell me? You are even more useless than you appear."

"You will not insult me in such a way Marvolo!" Voldemort screeched, his anger starting to boil over.

The image became corporeal as 'Marvolo's red eyes began to glow, his rage absolutely evident.

'Marvolo' lifted his wand and without a single word, without even so much as twitching his wrist a deep red light surged from his wand and hit Voldemort's chest.

"You will never utter any name in relation to me other than Master, Voldemort!"

The Dark Lord remained kneeling, his anger nearing its peak but through his mastery of Occlumency and mental shields he was just able to regain control under such pain.

"Yes…Master." He croaked, pain still streaking through his veins as he felt the dark magic pulse in his body. How easy it was to forget that he paled in comparison to this monster, the true Dark Lord.

A sharp pain built in his mind as the link finally shattered completely. Reptilian eyes widened as shock overcame him. How could this happen? The link was made by him and only he should be able to break it!

"What now Voldemort? What has happened?" the image had long since become clear and untouchable again, but 'Marvolo' was also becoming intrigued as to what could possibly be affecting his servant this way.

"The link…it's gone." 'Marvolo' smirked smugly and laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Voldemort yelled, his head still feeling as though it would split.

'Marvolo' began applauding, his intimidating smile at full force.

"Ah Harry, how you never cease to surprise…"

Voldemort by now was itching to curse this man, but he took another breath and spoke with as much respect as he could muster.

"What have you been keeping from me?"

'Marvolo' nodded, and looked to his side at something Voldemort could not see before issuing an order and returning his attention to the conversation.

"Nothing of importance, but this break of the link signals something I've been counting on. You must act quickly, forget your plans of attacking during that abomination of a wedding between the Veela and those blood traitors, the attack should be done now."

Voldemort scowled, how dare he make changes to his plans!

"Why should I?"

"Because you imbecile your plan to attack on an occasion when everyone in the Order of the Phoenix is present and while it is indeed ambitious, it is also idiocy. Everyone from the Order will be there, making any attack extremely difficult since the Aurors and several other high priority targets will also be in attendance. Attack now, while there is hardly any defense present."

Voldemort snarled, "And what about the Fidelius that is currently used to hide the boy and that family?"

'Marvolo' sneered, "There are ways of getting around that pesky protection. How else would they invite so many people to the wedding? Find someone who already knows the location and break into the property line, you will still be unable to know 'where' you are but it will no longer matter."

Voldemort was unable to argue against him, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he tried to find some way of getting around this. It was impossible, the plan was better and he would be a fool not to act on it.

"Very well, I'll gather my people and attack the property within the hour. I know of one person in the Ministry who should know where the boy is hidden."

'Marvolo' nodded. "Good, I will be waiting to hear of your success. If the seal is broken things have just begun to become interesting again."

Voldemort growled as the image began to disappear. "Seal? What seal!"

But it was too late, his Master was gone and he was now left to attempt an attack on someone who had thus far been impossible to kill. The boy seemed to have more immortality than any Horcrux and it was intimidating to know how much Fate seemed to enjoy keeping the child alive.

Voldemort left the cave, deep beneath the Manor he had built as his headquarters. He activated the Dark Mark and summoned his most trusted Death Eaters, only they could be trusted with such an important mission. Tonight there would be a slaughter, and nothing Potter could do would stop him now, not with the Lethifolds now in his arsenal.

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><p>Harry Potter and Alan Delacour sat inside the orange room with no bookshelf, darkness engulfing most of the room except for the small candles lighting the rest up in a golden red glow that brought warmth to the two tired souls. Alan was recuperating from the last few minutes of activity and his younger friend was in much the same state, unable to fall asleep because of what happened but unable to bring themselves to do anything else.<p>

"What are you doing now Harry? You should be resting." Alan exasperatedly said with a halfhearted attempt to sound stern.

The young man was getting up slowly from his bed, walking or more appropriately hobbling towards a crate that lay under the desk. Alan raised his eyebrows as the crate was opened and Harry rifled through it carefully as if the contents were incredibly important. Alan felt somewhat like an intruder as Harry whispered to himself as he took out objects, letters and notes of all assortments. It wasn't until Harry sharply inhaled that he thought something might be wrong.

Harry however was far too engrossed with what lay in his hands, a soft yellow parchment that looked years old and written in the most feminine handwriting he had ever laid his eyes on.

_Albus, it seems so hard to call you that after so many years being a student of yours. I have something very important to give to you, because I fear that soon James and I will be found. Yes, I know we're under the Fidelius but I cannot help but feel a sense of doom when thinking about the future. Harry is doing quite well, and I truly wish he will not have to grow up in this world that surrounds us but with each day I feel that we're becoming more entangled with Voldemort and his forces. It is with this in mind that I attach this necklace inside its case; the necklace is a family Heirloom that I am sure has magical properties, but I cannot fathom what they might be. It holds secrets that I cannot understand and I cannot allow Death Eaters to capture it on my neck, so I am sending it to you in hopes that you will pass it down to Harry when the time is right. I can see its connection to him, whenever I hold Harry the stone pulses in ways that seem familiar. _

_Please keep it safe Albus, James does not know that it is anything other than a necklace and I beg that you keep this secret yourself. Severus cannot know, for even his Occlumency shields will not be able to keep such obscure information to himself._

_I am attaching another letter to this one, only Harry will be able to read it. A very special charm that I've been perfecting for our forces but I'm unable to use it for anything more than familial letters currently. Give it to Harry when you wish to give him the necklace, so he may know the truth._

_Your friend,_

_Lily Potter_

Tears spilt onto the parchment from above as Harry read it carefully. Words directly from his mother to Dumbledore were now in front of him and he couldn't hold the emotions to himself. Sobs came uncontrolled from his throat, and distantly in his mind he remembered that he wasn't alone in this moment but he couldn't find it within himself to care. He sat down against the wall, the crate next to him and Harry decided to open the long case that soon revealed a thin necklace with a faded green stone in the shape of a diamond with a small point in the middle. Harry held the necklace in his hands, feeling something within him reach out. It was reminiscent of the feeling he got when he held his wand, but entirely different in what it evoked. While he before had felt whole when holding his wand, he felt as though he was reunited with a piece of himself when he touched the stone with his thumb.

A tear touched the stone from above, causing it to pulse with invisible power, making Harry gasp. From somewhere around him he heard the words "Is everything okay?" but he couldn't remember where he was, or who it might be that was speaking. His vision was centered on the stone wrapped around silver and soon the connection was broken and he was brought back to reality.

"Harry, is everything alright?" Alan asked, and Harry nodded quickly brushing it off as being tired. Alan was entirely unconvinced but let it go, whatever was going on with the boy was intensely private if the letters he was holding and the tears that he saw being dropped were any indication.

Harry opened the second letter, wanting and needing to see his mother's handwriting again. The handwriting he was now searing into his memory again revealing it again and the letter even gave off a hint of perfume that nearly made Harry's brain shut down.

_Harry, my baby; I do not know if you'll remember me or if this letter will go to waste but I wanted you to have something of mine either way. If your father and I are no longer with you I want you to know that we both love you very much and couldn't be happier with you in our lives. This necklace that you are holding is something very important to me and I want you to have it. It's an Evans family Heirloom and I fear your Aunt may be jealous that I was given it when your grandparents died instead of her. This necklace belonged to your grandfather and his father before him and so forth and now I give it to you Harry. It holds many secrets that I could not find, as your father and I cannot leave the house right now. I ask that you look into it yourself, because I have a feeling our history goes back farther than I thought. It is magical, I can tell but it does not react to any Wizarding Magic, and that my child is what makes it so interesting. It holds a magical power unlike anything I've ever been able to find elsewhere and I pray that you are as curious as I am about it._

_I love you so much Harry and I hope your life turns out as wonderful and amazing as mine has turned out, even with the War going on I could not have asked for anything else in this life. I have the man I love, the child I would protect with my very soul and friends that stand by my side. I wish you the same Harry James, always remember your Father and I, because we'll never forget you._

_Your Loving Mother, _

_Lily Potter_

Harry could not stop smiling, seeing those words he had wanted to hear from his relatives for so very long written by his mother. He was loved, and even if the Weasleys always continued to say as much he feared that it would not quite mean the same as the words on this letter. He folded it carefully and put it back in the crate, until a time when he could have it be somewhere safer.

"Harry, I don't mean to intrude but is something wrong?" Alan asked, his voice laced with concern. Harry shook his head solemnly and continued to smile with tears still slowly running down his face. "No Alan, everything is fine. I am reading letters written by my mother."

It was all the explanation the older healer needed and he smiled back, glad to see that his new friend could be given such a precious gift. He held onto letters from his dead mother as well and would treasure them forever and even if he could not comprehend how much more so they were treasured by a boy who had never known his mother, he felt a small fraction of that same feeling.

There was one more letter that was attached to the case, however this one was clearly less dated and while the handwriting was not his mother's Harry still instantly recognized it.

_Harry my boy¸ I am deeply sorry that I could not be by your side as you read these letters. My time was cut short by my indiscretions with Marvolo's ring and I fear I may not forgive myself of not being there for you for the last stretch of this journey before my death. Before you is a dangerous and harrowing mission that I would even fear if I had to finish it with you. Voldemort holds immortality in his hands and it is up to you now to take it away from him. With his Horcruxes he will be impossible to permanently kill, however this does not stop you from taking any opportunity you can to throw him out of his body. You will need more time than either of us can guess to find his soul pieces and the only way to buy this sort of time is to destroy the body he gained from the resurrection after the tournament. _

_I cannot even begin to tell you how you will be able to temporarily kill Tom Riddle, but I know you will find a way, like you did with both Quirrel and the Basilisk. You've braved dragons and mermen, trolls and acromantulas before you even became of age. You have lived a life that I may even be bold enough to say rivals my current one and I have no doubts that you will be able to conquer any challenges that get in your way._

_Love freely and love always Harry, it is the power that he knows not and with it you will find your way in this life. It was love that destroyed my life and my sister, but that was only because I let love blind me from the imperfections of those we choose to love. But love also brought me the closest to atoning for that mistake so long ago, and I truly hope that you find the truth in this._

_I love you Harry like the son I was never given in this life, I will never forget the impact that you've had on my life and I'm sure many, many people could say the same._

_-Albus Dumbledore_

Even with all the bitterness that the man had evoked these past months, Harry could not help but shed a few tears for the man that clearly had the best intentions in mind and had to live with far more than should have been expected of him. Harry was unsure what he would do about the Horcruxes now, but the thought that he could attempt to take away Voldemort's artificial body to buy some time was worth looking into. Harry held the necklace in his hand still, and knew that first he would need to find out more about this necklace and his family heritage. He had the money to look into this, and he had no other interests once he spoke to the Order about Voldemort.

"That's an interesting necklace Harry." Alan spoke curiously, having sat closer to Harry minutes ago.

"It was my Mothers'." Harry choked out, carefully putting it around his neck and feeling warmth in him when the stone casing touched his chest. Only a moment afterwards he felt a shift in that warmth as a cold feeling suddenly gripped his heart, a panic that could not be explained took hold of him and Alan looked around as well.

"What's happening?" Harry asked, attempting to gain control of the ominous feeling entrapping him.

"The wards, something is happening." Alan whispered, holding his hand up and grasping his wand tightly in his other hand. The door opened abruptly and Alan sighed in relief when he saw his wife and hugged her quickly with a quick kiss.

"**You are feeling this too, yes?"** she said quickly, a tense tone of urgency in her voice. Alan nodded and slowly shifted her behind him as Harry kept watching the now closed door. The wards continued shifting and the three inside the orange room continued tensely waiting.

"**We must get Fleur and Gabrielle Alan!"** Appoline cried, her panic overcoming her reason.

Harry wondered why he would have felt the wards shift if he was no longer magical, but was unable to think about it further as the feeling intensified tenfold and he felt his breathing increase dramatically.

"**Oh my God."** Alan whispered, feeling the wards break and hoping that the Weasleys were awake and feeling this as well.

Screeches were heard and the candles went out, whispers could be heard from every direction and soon screams were coming from every room in the house. Harry felt the panic fade and resolved to protect himself somehow, his ideas were few and he soon just hunched down in a corner and kept his perspective free of blind spots. Alan cast a spell that launched a ball of light from his wand, which hovered above his shoulder as he aimed at the door and took on some sort of fighting stance.

"Stay back Harry, they may be after you." Alan said quietly, but Harry was hardly one to sit around and cower and thought of something quickly.

"Transfigure a knife, Alan." Harry ordered, using the voice he was accustomed to using for the DA, a defense study group that he and Hermione had founded.

"What?" Alan looked back momentarily, "A kitchen knife, or what?"

Harry shrugged, "Doesn't matter, just anything."

Alan quickly transfigured one of the quills in sight into a thin but sturdy fish knife and gave it to Harry.

"Just don't hurt yourself." He warned, though a grim smile graced his face for a second.

Harry would have said something about that but his words were caught in his throat as the door opened with a blast and threw Alan back. There was no warning, no time to react as a shadowy creature flew into the room and took down Alan and began screeching and Appoline began screaming.

Harry recognized the creature in front of him from his Defense Against the Dark Arts exams in fifth year, they were called Lethifolds and were similar to Dementors in that they took the victims soul. However these creatures were known to be native to the America's and did not stop at the victims' soul, but rather consumed their flesh as well. Patronuses were a known method of fending them off but like with the Dementors no one had actually informed them on how to 'kill' one.

Harry made a split second decision and chose to tackle the Lethifold as it began sucking Alan's soul away and stabbed it in the 'neck region' as hard as he could. He felt something underneath the shadowy cloak that screeched loud enough that other similar sounds were soon heard throughout the house. Harry internally cursed wondering if he had somehow made this Lethifold call for help as the screeching continued. The soul essence that had been seeping out of Alan seemed to snap back into the body and soon Harry was thrown against the wall as Alan cast his patronus and a misty panther launched out of the wand and rammed straight into the shadow creature.

The glowing panther stood guard at the door while Alan got up and regained his bearings; his wife clung to him and muttered apologies in French for not helping. He gasped when he finally saw a bloody Harry Potter against the wall and sighed in relief when the boy got up slowly and showed him the knife, proving that the blood wasn't actually his.

"So, why hasn't anyone tried a piercing curse on these bloody things if a knife can get through?" Harry groaned, forgetting the situation until another scream was heard in the house.

Both men and one patronus ran through the hallway, seeing multiple creatures throughout the house. However one image Harry doubted he'd ever forget was one Lethifold seemingly on fire as it flew out of the girl's room and what he found inside that room. He saw Hermione and Ginny both holding onto each other, neither seeming to have casted a patronus in their panic and where he thought he'd find Gabrielle he saw a very menacing looking creature. It had sharp features that vaguely reminded him of Gabrielle while the body held claws at the tips of its fingers and razor sharp teeth protruding from her mouth. Fire licked the tips of its fingers and at the sight of the two men fire balls appeared in both hands.

"**Calm down Gabrielle! It is gone!"** Alan shouted, praying that he wouldn't get incinerated; his daughter became very unstable in her harpy state. Appoline attempted to calm Gabrielle down as well but was pushed away.

"Not until they all pay!" Gabrielle cried, her voice having become much more shrill and intimidating. She walked purposely past the men but chance a glance at Harry and the young man in question could have sworn he saw vulnerability in the Veela's eyes.

Harry followed them out, Hermione and Ginny covering the back as any Lethifold they encountered was soon covered in fire and screeching its way out of the house. "They love darkness, and fear fire." Gabrielle said smugly, and Harry was wondering how much he should start fearing the younger girl now.

That was the only bright point of the night however, as Harry, Alan, Appoline, Gabrielle, Hermione and Ginny found that they could not go any further than the hallway. The Lethifolds were swarming the house and soon it was taking nonstop fire from both Delacour women to hold them back from Alan's panther. They barricaded themselves back inside Harry's room and Alan wiped the sweat off his brow from holding up his patronus for so long. Hermione took over with her otter and Ginny feebly tried to cast her horse patronus with little luck before Harry simply called for them to help barricade the door further.

"We need to find a way out of here." Harry breathed, still shoving what little furniture there was against the door. Ginny was nearly in tears and Hermione wasn't far behind her, making the otter flicker from sight.

"What about the others?" Ginny cried out. Alan sighed grimly, his eldest daughter was still out there but there was no way they'd be able to check the rest of the house.

"We have to hope they are safe." Hermione whispered, defeat written on her face. Her otter faded out and Alan sighed before recasting his panther. Hermione guiltily apologized but Appoline assured her that it was alright, that children should not be expected to cast the spell at all, not considering the strenuous conditions on them all.

"Does anyone have any ideas on how to get out of here?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject and keep everyone from focusing on everyone that _wasn't_ in the room.

Hermione soon took Harry's hand and said "We can apparate." And before she saw the sad look on Alan's face she scrunched up her nose and turned, before noticing that she had not gone anywhere.

"I'm afraid that whoever is attacking has already put up anti-apparition wards. Whoever did this does not want anyone to leave."

Appoline looked to her husband for a moment, asking something in French as they both nodded. "We need you all to hold on to us and Gabrielle; we can take one person each on our two-way portkeys home. Hopefully they will not have put up anti-portkey wards for international portkeys."

Harry grimly thought that it was possibly a good thing that there were only the six of them, or else the portkeys wouldn't have been viable anyway. Harry reached for the crate and pulled out his mother's letters and stuffed them into his pocket, the necklace remaining around his neck. He was soon grabbed by Gabrielle, who had reverted to her human form soon after the barricade was finished. Hermione took hold of Appoline and a tearful Ginny clung to Alan as all six disappeared from sight to the sound of screeching and the mutual hope that they were not the only ones to escape.

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><p><em><strong>AN This chapter has been in the works for a while, though the ending is quite recently done. I've got no beta so I'm afraid any mistakes I couldn't comb over quickly are mine and mine alone.**_

_**As per usual, read and review and thank you for all the encouragement people, it is highly appreciated.**_


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